Experts have warned Swedish men to keep their
swimming trunks on if taking a dip in a sound off the
country's southern coast, after a South American fish
known for attacking testicles was discovered in the
area.
The alert came after a fisherman in the Oresund
Sound last week retrieved a 21 centimetre pacu - a
relative of the piranha that is most commonly found
in the Amazon region.
"Keep your swimwear on if you're bathing in the
Sound these days - maybe there are more out there!"
cautioned the National History Museum in
neighbouring Denmark.
The freshwater fish, which can grow up to 90
centimetres and weigh up to 25 kilogrammes, has
been nicknamed the "ball cutter" for its attacks on
the male Instruments.
In areas where pacus proliferate, fishermen have
reportedly bled to death after losing their testicles to
the fish's crushing jaws.
Found in most rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco
basins in South America, they have also been spotted
in Papua New Guinea, where it is believed they have
been introduced to boost fish stocks. Discoveries
have also been reported in several US states; in
2006, officials at one Texas lake reportedly put a
$100 bounty on the pacu caught there.
But this is the first time a pacu has been caught at
sea in Europe, the museum said.
"The pacu is not normally dangerous to people but it
has quite a serious bite, there have been incidents in
other countries, such as Papua New Guinea where
some men have had their testicles bitten off," Henrik
Carl, a fish expert at the Danish museum, said.
"They bite because they're hungry, and testicles sit
nicely in their mouth," he told The Local.
"And its mouth is not so big, so of course it normally
eats nuts, fruit, and small fish, but human testicles
are just a natural target. It's not normal to get your
testicles bitten off, of course, but it can happen,
especially now in Sweden."
The pacu was similar in appearance to its notorious
cousin, the piranha, he said.
"They are almost identical to the piranha, you
couldn't even tell from the outside. It's just that they
have different teeth. Flatter and stronger, perfect for
crushing," he added.
Mr Carl said that the discovery of one pacu - which is
currently undergoing DNA tests to confirm its
identity - should not keep Swedish men out of the
water. But if more were found in the area, it could
become a serious issue, he suggested.
"This one was the first, but who knows, it's probably

not the last."